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n our day and age, the secular culture cares about only one virtue—anti-hypocrisy.
Now, before we continue, realize that I am NOT saying that being a hypocrite is good.
Please read that sentence again.
Now you may say, “Well, Amy, it’s a good thing that the culture sees hypocrisy as a bad thing.”
And I would agree with you if those that went around pointing out hypocrites right and left got the definition correct. The vast majority err in two ways.
1.) It is common these days for people to go scrounging around in your past looking for any evidence, however slight, that you said a wrong thing or lived wrongly. It is the “joy” of their hearts to drag said bad thing from the past out from the depths of time and present it to the world as evidence that you are a hypocrite.
When you say, “Yeah, but I’ve changed,” they refuse to allow for any growth or maturity. You are forever defined by past wrongs.
2.) If you say you are for something, like let’s say you are pro-life; if you don’t do EVERYTHING under the sun that pertains to pro-life issues, you are deemed a hypocrite. If you don’t give every ounce of food you have to the hungry, if you don’t house every refugee, if you don’t adopt all orphaned children on earth, if you don’t visit the elderly at all waking hours, well…you are a hypocrite.
Neither of these are the definitions of hypocrisy nor are they realistic to expect of people. A hypocrite is someone who pretends to have virtues for public approval but doesn’t actually live those virtues out in the present—IN THE PRESENT.
Of course, Catholic Pilgrims, we should always work to make sure we are not being hypocrites. Our moral standard is Christ, not those who deny a moral standard in the first place, yet love to wield it as a weapon to trap you forever.
Love the Faith boldly this Tuesday and travel well.
**Picture is of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey.
In our second reading today, St. Paul is writing to the Christians in Corinth. He says, "To you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ." It was the "called to be holy" part that caught my eye. St. Paul doesn't say we can live however we want while calling ourselves a Christian. He, also, doesn't say that we are straight up holy once we become a Christian. He says we are called to be and, that means, there is some participation on our part where we must cooperate with the graces given to us by God and be obedient to Christ's teachings and the teachings of His Church. God calls us to holiness, but we do have to desire it. If we think that we are just "good to go" because we call ourselves a Christian, it will be difficult to desire holiness. I know that I once didn't even desire it because 1. nobody ever talked to me about it. and 2. I thought calling myself a Christian meant I had an assured ticket to Heaven. Consequently, I didn't try to live any differently. In fact, unless you asked me, you wouldn't have known I was a Christian based on how I lived. To be holy means that we want to live out the virtues--courage, prudence, justice, fortitude, piety, etc,-- for love of God and for love of others. We want to orient our lives to look more like Christ's and make choices that don't follow the easy way. We are called to holiness, Catholic Pilgrims. God will work with our desire to answer that call if we ask Him. Have a blessed Sunday. *Church is Mission San Juan Baptista in CA
Continue ReadingIn the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Today, in our reading from Matthew, the Trinity is revealed. At the Baptism of Our Lord, the Father speaks of His love for His Son, The Son gives us the Sacrament of Baptism, and the Holy Spirit descends like a dove letting us know that this action is sanctified. It is holy and pleasing to God. This is why we baptize in the Trinitarian formula and every single time we do the Sign of the Cross it is a beautiful reminder of our baptism and the saving grace we received from it. We must continue to cooperate with those graces throughout our life, but it/was our entrance into the family of God. So many things happen at baptism: You become a child of God and an heir to the Kingdom. Original sin is washed away and any actual sins if above the age of reason. Your soul is permanently marked as belonging to God. Your soul is filled with grace--the Divine life. You receive the three theological gifts of Faith, Hope, and Charity. You receive the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn't need to be baptized, but He was showing us what He wanted us to do--this was the new covenantal ritual, circumcision would not be needed anymore. Baptism is the start of our Christian life with God, Catholic Pilgrims. Through it, we are brought into the life of the Blessed Trinity. Have a beautiful Sunday.
Continue ReadingMy husband and I were talking to our daughter on the phone the other day and as we were talking, my husband told her about all the different Masses we had been to in one week. We went to our first Latin Mass the Sunday after Christmas. Then, we went to a funeral Mass in San Jose. The day after that, we went to a bilingual Mass at Mission San Juan Baptista--my 12th California Mission. And this past Sunday, we were back at our base chapel with all the familiar faces of our friends that we live with on base. It never ceases to amaze me how good it feels to just walk into a Catholic Church and know that I belong. I don't even have to know anybody. It's always nice when I do know people, but, even when I don't, I feel a great sense of belonging. As the Catholic Pilgrim, I've visited literally hundreds of Catholic Churches in the 16 years since I converted. I've been to Masses where the people spoke French, Turkish, Portuguese, Polish, and Spanish. Latin can now be added to the list. I've been to Mass in enormous cathedrals and in small caves. I've attended Mass outside with over a million Catholics and I attend daily Mass on base where sometimes it's just my son and me. In all of these different circumstances, I sense the universality of the Catholic Church. Even when I'm surrounded by people that don't look like me, I feel such a connection because of our Faith and our one shared Feast at the altar--the Eucharist, which is Jesus Christ. What a blessing to be part of this one, big, universal family, Catholic Pilgrims. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday.
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